RELEASING TO GLORIFY THE LORD

Releasing to Glorify the Lord
by Rick Joyner http://www.morningstarministries.org/

Having studied revivals and moves of God for nearly forty years, I am yet to find an example of a church or work that could sustain a true revival for more than a few years, and usually two is the limit. Most of the time, the church that hosted the revival, or the region that did, was left in worse condition than before the revival. Why?

Before trying to answer this, let me first say that even though a true revival can be very costly to those who host it, they are still worth it for the good that they do. Even so, for the host to be so devastated by a revival is not the best; rather, it is possible for them to be blessed and benefit from them.

Since we see in part and know in part, there may be more to the answer of this question than I will present. My studies and experience have led me to believe the main reason for this is the lack of understanding the phases of church life and development we have been studying, and the failure to make the necessary transitions between them.

To know these principles and then to have the fortitude and resolve to implement them are two different things. It is much easier to be a Monday morning, easy chair quarterback than to be in the game. To have the wisdom and leadership to navigate through one of these transitions will almost certainly require going through one of the most disappointing and discouraging things a leader can go through—losing many people.

It is not likely that a transition between any of these phases can be done without losing many people, and therefore much support. There will be a pruning with each transition, and probably a very severe one. Not many will have the spiritual vision or understanding to see this as a positive thing—that this pruning is required so that the tree can bear even more fruit later. Now let's look at a few things that may help our vision for this.

First, the greatest leader who ever walked the earth, Jesus, went through this same kind of pruning when He made transitions between phases in His ministry. We see this dramatically demonstrated in John 6. Great multitudes were following Him because of the signs they saw. Others followed Him because of God's provision—He fed them by multiplying the bread and fish. When He told the crowds that He was the Bread from heaven and unless they ate His flesh and drank His blood, they could have not part in Him, it says that not only the crowds departed, but many of His disciples departed as well (see verse 66). The crowds followed Him for what He could give them, but when it came down to who would follow Him for Himself, there were not many left.

This chapter represents a significant transition in the ministry of Jesus. Until then, He did most of His works and His teachings for the multitudes. After this, His focus was more on His disciples than on the multitudes. Before this transition, He did great miracles so that the people could believe. After this He did miracles for those who believed.

Of course, after this transition even greater multitudes would follow Him again. Let us remain on course; every pruning will ultimately result in more fruit. However, we should also consider this—the Lord never entrusted Himself to the multitudes. Why? That same multitude who cried, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord" (see Mark 11:9), was just five days later crying "Crucify Him!" A leader is foolish if the mindset of the many is trusted—it can be changed quickly, easily, and profoundly. A true leader has to lead out of conviction and resolve to stay the course, regardless of what others think or do, or how many will follow them.


One thing that has helped me to embrace seeing people leave our MorningStar churches is to see them as seeds that we are sowing throughout the body of Christ, who will then go and bear more fruit from what they have received from us. We say often that most of the people who come to us "come to pass," or they come to stay for a while, get what they need, and then pass on to be a blessing to others. In this way, we have been able to help populate many other congregations with some outstanding people.

This would not be possible to do without keeping a vision for the whole body of Christ, while keeping one for what we are called to do as well. Any part of the body that grows without regard for the rest of the body is a cancer. We don't want to be a cancer to the body, but a blessing to it—all of it. We resolved in the beginning to want our fruit in heaven and not care what it looks like here. These are not my people, and I never want to be possessive of them. They are the Lord's and He must be able to place them in His body where it pleases Him, not me.

Another thing we do is to shut down all of our meetings and services every July and tell our people to visit other churches in order to keep a vision for the whole body in our region. We also tell them that if they find a place where they fit better than with us, stay. We bless them to do this. This has helped them to be able to freely leave when they need to, and it has helped us to keep our attention and faith in the Lord, not in people. Every August we come into the first meetings not knowing if any people will be coming back. It does stretch our faith every year. However, every year to date, more have come back than we sent out, and sometimes many more. This is really not our goal, but it happens.

You would also think that this would help us to gain the trust of other local congregations, sending our people to them, and even telling them to take their tithes with them to bless other congregations, but to date the reverse has been true. This has only made them even more suspicious of us, especially those who are very possessive of their people, as they simply cannot comprehend why we would do this.

However, we are not doing this to gain the trust of local congregations, we are doing it out of obedience, and to bless those congregations whether they acknowledge it or not. If we really have a kingdom vision, we will measure our success as a church by the health of the other local congregations in our area. Therefore, we are happy to send them some of our best people every year. We don't look for rewards or acknowledgment from them, but from the Lord.

Possibly the biggest tangible benefit we have received is the incredible refreshing that comes from it and the unquestionable spiritual advance we have enjoyed every fall. We can tell in June that people need a break from meetings, but in August when they come back, we can tell they really missed the meetings, and there is a new zeal in them and us for just getting together.

This is one thing that we do which we believe was a strategy the Lord gave us, but I am not recommending for others to do this. I now know of a few others who heard what we were doing, tried it, and they, too, have realized a great benefit from it. However, I consider that to be between them and the Lord.

We do this in July because it is the seventh month, and there is something to observing the Lord's Sabbaths. We do not do this to observe the law, and if this becomes just another law, we know it will be counterproductive. We do it out of obedience and it works for us. That's the limit of what I would like to say about this, but I do think the Lord can give us practical things to do that will keep our trust and attention on Him instead of the people, which is crucial if we are to leaders appointed by the Lord and led by Him.

We might also think that such a strategy as this would greatly weaken our own local churches, but the reverse has been true. Our core people are actually the strongest I have ever seen in a local congregation, and they keep getting stronger. Our core leadership team also has more longevity together than any other such team I know of. We have gone through a number of transitions now with a number of our congregations, and they have been as easy and smooth as I could imagine. I have watched them go through severe pruning without nearly the turbulence we were expecting, and the increased fruitfulness seemingly without the pride that often comes, which sidetracks a work and spoils the fruit.

Of course, maybe my sharing this is a form of pride. I hope not, but we do now have enough longevity to see that if something is working, and if it can help others, I want to share it. I think one thing that will help every church, movement, denomination, ministry, or mission, is to not build on people, but to build on the Lord. Also, do not use the people to build your ministry, but use your ministry to build the people.

RIGHTEOUNESS AND JUSTICE

Righteousness and Justice
by Rick Joyner http://www.morningstarministries.org/

Last week we discussed how the church is supposed to be a representation of the kingdom of God on the earth. For this reason it should be the best run, most efficient, righteous, just, and powerful organization there is, an expression of the character, nature, and authority of God. Even so, at times the church has done many things that are contrary to the nature of Christ. Because "righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne" (see Psalm 97:2), and His throne represents His power and authority, when these are eroded in the church, so is the authority and power that the church should be exercising.
Righteousness is not just the moral standards God has called His people to walk in, but as much as one-third of the biblical teachings on righteousness have to do with good stewardship or good management of what we have been entrusted with. Today it could hardly be said that the church, in general, is being run with the efficiency, wisdom, and harmony that the rest of creation reflects. However, before the end of this age we can expect the church to become a glorious reflection of God's nature in every way.
The church will also become the greatest demonstration on earth of morality and justice, standing as a great beacon in the midst of the increasing darkness of the times. It will be the ultimate society, the great fellowship of some of the greatest souls to have ever walked the earth.
Not only will the church be a reflection of God's wisdom, righteousness (doing things right), and justice, it will also be an expression of the love of God, which is basic to His character as we are told that "God is love" (see 1 John 4:8, 4:16). This brings up some interesting questions. Often, to emphasize efficiency it seems that compassion flies out the window. How is the church going to navigate these often conflicting principles? To do this, we are going to need a basic change in our definition of some of these principles.
As we saw in the example of South Korea after the war, the true compassion for that nation dictated that charity be stopped so they could kick-start their own economy. It worked, and they quickly arose to become one of the strongest economies in Asia and then the world. The gospel also spread through South Korea so that it became one of the most truly Christian nations in Asia, and then the world. Now the church in South Korea is having a positive impact on Christianity around the world, and in many ways, it is becoming a unique and powerful expression of the church.
My point here is that it was the cutting off of charity that resulted in the development of such a strong nation and church. South Koreans are now some of the most highly educated, highly motivated, and highly resourceful people in the world. However, it took what seemed to be cruelty instead of charity to accomplish this.
Our involvement in missions has taught us this principle very well. If you just give people something they have a tendency not to regard it very much. If you come alongside and help them with what is needed, they have ownership of it, and they will be far more inclined to appreciate it and maintain it. As we have discussed before, is this not why the Lord sent the Holy Spirit to be the Helper and not the Doer? He almost never does anything without us. He will help us, sometimes with great miracles, but He will not do it for us.
We also need to understand that to measure success in something we need to look at the end product, the fruit. Without question, there are situations where charity is required. There are also times and places where charity is not only harmful, but even cruel, because it keeps people in bondage to the providers of charity or to their circumstances, instead of helping them to rise above them.
We saw this dramatized during our Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. You could easily tell the people who worked for a living from those who were on welfare. Those who worked were deeply appreciative for any help and would tend to be quick to want to help others. Those on welfare were basically helpless, unthankful, and shockingly demanding. Some of these were abusive to our volunteers, becoming irate when they did not get what they wanted immediately when they wanted it, even when there were others next to them in a more desperate situation. Those on welfare would seldom lift a hand to help themselves, much less anyone else, and often became outraged when asked to do something. This should have been a revelation to everyone, but many in the government just echoed their demanding attitude, making it even more difficult for the situation in the disaster area. The Apostle Paul prophesied this kind of demeanor in II Timothy 3:1-5:
But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come,
for men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God;
holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these.
This is obviously being fulfilled in our time. What is the source? Can it be reversed? It can and must be in the church first. Socialism, which has basically made everyone dependent on the state, will prove to be the primary cause of the lawlessness that spreads across the world in the last days.
Basically, the attitudes of those on welfare in the Katrina crisis were the result of fear as much as anything. They did not know how to take care of themselves, how to be resourceful in such situations, and there was a fear on the welfare recipients that greatly exceeded the concerns and worry of the others. They were simply helpless, and if anything exacerbated this even a little, rage would come out. So, do I fault the system for what it has done to them? No. If we remove personal responsibility for our condition, there can be no repentance or grace, which the whole system of socialism has done to people. The system will do this to all who let it, but that is our choice. The system is only bad if it lets people use it when they do not really need it.
At any time, any of us could find ourselves in desperate need of help or charity from others. There is no shame in this. It is when we do not need it but continue to demand it that we have a problem; the system that lets us do this also has a problem. Now consider how this applies to the spiritual welfare state of much of the church. Just consider how many pastors and teachers will supply all of the spiritual food for their people and never require the people to cultivate this for themselves. Consider how many cannot hear from the Lord for themselves, but have only grown in dependence on their leaders for guidance. Is this not the same thing?
In its present state, in many ways, the church is one of the most socialistic of all institutions. This has already created some of the worst problems in our time, and will create even more in the days to come if it is not corrected. The number one problem with pastors today is burnout because they are trying to be to people what they can never be, and do for people what they can never do. If we continue to build people on the foundation of the church, instead of on the Lord Himself, with each one knowing Him, knowing His voice, and growing up in all things into Him, we are going to pay a most terrible price when people are in a in crisis. They will demand from us what we cannot give them.
Only the church that is composed of those who are strong in the Lord will be able to pass the test of the times. As we have discussed, recent studies are revealing that there is no longer a measurable difference between Christians and non-Christians in the most basic moral and integrity issues. This is the greatest tragedy because when the salt loses its savor, then the meltdown of the rest of society is inevitable, and this is happening.
Why is it that parents who coddle their children are almost inevitably disrespected by their children, and often even hated by them? Parents who fail to discipline their children are now becoming the victims of their children, who show little or no conscience or remorse even when killing their parents. There is a demanding attitude in those who have been raised like this that turns into rage when they do not get their way. These are almost totally incapable of dealing with problems, much less crises. This is one reason why even the rescuers during Hurricane Katrina were being shot.
As troubles increase and the foundations are shaken, lawlessness is going to become the greatest of all threats, even more than the wars and natural disasters— except where the church has been the light and salt that it is called to be. As we read in the verses above, the difficult times come because of a character meltdown. So what do we do?
Again, the answer to everything is to turn to the Lord and build our lives on His kingdom rather than the kingdoms of this world. We have a kingdom which cannot be shaken, regardless of what happens in this world. In the time to come, we will see more and more that it is the only stable government in this world. This does not imply that we should not do what we can to help the governments of this world, as that is what being the salt and light means. However, there is a difference between helping something and building our lives on it. Be sure that your life is built on the kingdom of God, not this world. If it is built on the kingdom of God, you will grow in peace while the rest of the world grows in fear, and the rest of the world will see your peace and come to it. Isaiah 60:1-5 says:
"Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and deep darkness the peoples, but the Lord will rise upon you, and His glory will appear upon you.
And nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
Lift up your eyes round about, and see; they all gather together, they come to you. Your sons will come from afar, and your daughters will be carried in the arms.
Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will thrill and rejoice; because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, the wealth of the nations will come to you."

PROPHECY AND RESPONSIBILITY

Prophecy & Responsibility
by Graham Cooke
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The following is an excerpt from Graham's brand new book, Prophecy and Responsibility. We hope you enjoy it.

Growing people will cause us hard work and some heartache, but people are worth the hassle. We must cultivate the attitude in our churches that people have worth and value. Helping people mature is a Biblical mandate.

I still remember the attendant feelings and emotions that I had when I first moved out in the supernatural many years ago. I was a child in what I knew. I was awestruck, afraid, uncertain, insecure, and inadequate. Like a toddler tripping over his own feet, I prophesied. I was convinced that I had done everything all wrong. I felt stupid when I could not properly verbalize what I was sensing. I felt like everyone was laughing at my mistakes.

I remember, too, the awful pride that I went through as I became more accustomed to speaking and moving in supernatural ways. Like a moody teenager who thinks they know everything, I fell into arrogance.

When we look back at our early development, I imagine most of us cringe at the mistakes we made. I was so desperate for approval, kindness, and, above all, real help in my development.

People need to be free to make mistakes and to fail. Our leaders must create an environment within the church that is safe for both the body and the developing prophet. Once we set a protocol for prophetic ministry to follow and appoint someone to oversee that area, we can genuinely relax. Prophetic protocol teaches us how to use revelational prophecy and the accountability required. We can sow that teaching into our foundational classes and ministry training. We can then determine what are honest mistakes needing loving correction, and what are breaches of protocol that may require discipline and adjustment.

We must learn to deal with failures and turn them into positive learning experiences for people. We cannot simply drop people or forbid them to prophesy; we must work with them to overcome their difficulties. We should be kind, humble, and full of mercy--yet firm, caring, and well-disciplined. The leader’s role is to balance care for the individual with protection for the flock. We are not employers; we cannot fire people from their gift. We cannot dismiss their life and ministry because they create tension and difficulty. People are worth fighting for and therefore, our heart is always to win people.

The grace of God abounds when sin is plentiful. We need the same godly reaction to failure. Our love, warmth, and acceptance needs to abound. People need us most when they have failed. It is not easy to begin to move in the supernatural; it is full of pressure and uncertainty until we develop proper practice. We learn mostly by experience, and that is costly to acquire. Often we learn how not to do things before figuring out how to do them properly. We should respect and be grateful for anyone willing to put themselves in that kind of firing line. Whenever a person begins to move in the supernatural, they may as well paint a big target on their back and yell “Shoot me!” Developing prophets draw enemy attacks and Christian criticism. Church people should set their sights on redemption, not harassment.

I need my brothers and sisters more when I have failed than I do when I have succeeded. Success should bring approval while failure should bring acceptance. To do otherwise is to be worldly and not godly.

BEING TRANSFORMED THROUGH TRIALS

Being Transformed Through Trials
by Rick Joyner http://www.morningstarministries.org/
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"There is no greater freedom than knowing we are in the will of God."
The Church is the Lord's Body, and what He does, He will do through His Church. If we want to be a part of what God is doing, it is fundamental that we find our part in His body and begin functioning in it.
We must also acknowledge that there are many ways in which the contemporary Church reflects the ways and organizations of this world more than the Kingdom of God. However, the Church is going through a most radical transformation at this time. It is so radical that the only way to describe it is metamorphosis, which we have discussed before, but we need to build on this thought a bit, so I will review it briefly here.
Metamorphosis of the Church and Our Mindsets
Metamorphosis is the process that a caterpillar goes through in the cocoon where it enters as a worm and leaves a beautiful butterfly. The Greek word that is the root of this word "metamorphosis" is the word translated "transformed" in Romans 12:2:
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
A caterpillar is a worm that crawls along the earth, conforming to all of the contours of the earth, but a butterfly soars above the earth. This is the transformation that is needed in us, and as it is specifically stated in this verse, the transformation must take place in our minds by the renewing.
Our minds have what are called "mindsets." A mindset is the setting of our mind so that when a word is spoken, we form a certain, definite impression. For example, when the word "Church" is stated, many have a very definite impression of it. For most of us, the Church is in its caterpillar state—the worm that is still conformed to this world. However, that mindset is about to be changed and renewed. Those who see prophetically already see the Church differently. She is about to become a very Heavenly creature, and those who are still looking for her crawling along the ground may miss her as she soars by overhead.
Mindsets can be good and bad. There are mindsets that we should have about such things as the Scriptures being the Word of God which cannot be changed. However, there are a lot of mindsets which are in fact spiritual strongholds--bondages that need to be broken. These are broken by a transformation that is in fact a metamorphosis, which is a process. I know many people who get revelations, but that is just the beginning of a transformation in our thinking which points us in the right direction. Real transformation is a process that requires faith, patience, endurance and focus.
Metamorphosis requires going into a cocoon, which is very confining. Even after the transformation has taken place, the cocoon is very hard to break out of. In fact, breaking out of the cocoon is often the greatest struggle a butterfly will ever go through. However, if it were not for this great struggle, which strengthens the butterfly's wings, it would not be able to flap those big wings and fly.
It is noteworthy that Paul was, "strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, ''Through many tribulations we must enter the Kingdom of God'" (Acts 14:22). The mindset that many believers have today would make that message anything but "strengthening" and "encouraging," but for the spiritually mature--it is. The Greek word "tribulations" basically means "pressures" such as the confining pressures of the cocoon. We are strengthened through those constrictions and pressures that the Lord allows to come upon us so that we will be able to soar above this world. Those who want to avoid these trials will be confined as worms to the earth.
There are many Christians who have stayed on the course, making the most of their trials, and they will soar high above the earth. There are many Christians who have not had the wisdom or maturity to do this, and they will always crawl. This is a demarcation which will become increasingly striking in the times ahead. Shortly after that, all Christians will be soaring because those who have not been transformed will not be able to remain Christians.
When the Lord was asked about the signs of the end of the age, He replied, "Woe...to those who nurse babes in those days" (see Matthew 24:19). I would translate this as, "Woe to those who have kept their people in immaturity." For this reason, Romans 12:1-2 is critical for us to hear:
I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Not Conformed to this World
To present our bodies to the Lord as living and holy sacrifices is our spiritual service and worship. The body is the temple of the Lord, and as Paul wrote to the Corinthians, if we continue to defile it, we can expect it to be destroyed. The sins of the body have consequences that will destroy the body. That should be motivation enough, but a higher motivation is a love for God so great, that we want to please Him in all things.
We must resolve not to be conformed to this world. If we do not care more about what God thinks of us than what people think of us, then we are not worthy to be His bride. That is why Paul said in Galatians 1:10, "If I were still seeking to please men I would not be a bond-servant of Christ." The degree to which we are ruled by the compulsion to please men, to be acceptable to men, is the degree to which we will have departed from our service to Christ.
As the Lord Jesus Himself stated in John 5:44, "How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another, and you do not seek the glory that is from the One and only God?" The answer of course is that we cannot believe and have true faith if we are still seeking the glory of men. The word for "glory" in this verse could have been translated "recognition." Our minds cannot be transformed if we are still conforming to this world by seeking the glory or recognition of men rather than the recognition of God.
However, the great promise in Romans 12:1-2 is that if our minds are transformed, we will be able to "prove what the will of God is." There is no greater freedom than knowing we are in the will of God. This allows us to soar high above any of the conditions or problems of this world. This is how Paul and Silas soared in worship even when they were in a dungeon. No dungeon could hold their spirits. If the things of this world are still holding us down, then we have not been transformed.
It is interesting that during the teenage years, there is more pressure to conform to what is considered "the norm" than probably at any other time of life. This is precisely the time of life when our true identity and purpose should be becoming clear, and this pressure from the world seems to be especially strong at this time to keep it from happening. This is also the time when many yokes of bondage are placed on people that keep them bound their entire lives. When you see a generation breaking out of this, willing to be different, having such vision and focus during these years that they cannot be seduced by the ways of this world, you can be sure the end of this age is near because the Bride is here.
So what about folks that are older? Certainly there will be Joshuas and Calebs from the previous generation, but there is also hope for all who are still alive to be a part. There is a renewing that will renew us. We can become young again. That the Bride is "without spot or wrinkle" (see Ephesians 5:27) speaks of her being pure (without spot), and she does not age (no wrinkles!). We can be made young again in the Lord if we will repent and determine that we will not be conformed to this world, but rather be transformed. If we are still living, it is not too late, but we should not waste another day.
We also need to decide if we are going to let all of the previous wounds and disappointments determine who we are, or if we are going to be like Christ, using the Cross to determine who we are, seizing the opportunity to die to ourselves and rise above this world and live in resurrection power. We cannot be resurrected unless we have first died.